The invention relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a signal level connector with power handling.
Modern electronic systems such as telecommunications systems and computer systems often include large circuit boards called backplane boards which are rack mounted or retained in cabinets and are electrically connected to a number of smaller circuit boards called daughter cards. Electrical connectors establish communications between the backplane and the daughter cards. The daughter cards are typically separate from each other and meet different requirements for different purposes such as transmission of high speed signals, low speed signals, power, etc. that are transferred to the daughter cards from the backplane board.
In today's systems, there is a continuously increasing demand for resources, such as signal and power, and as a result, connector space on the circuit boards is in short supply. In many instances, due to space limitations, system operators limit the amount of connector space available for each application. Generally, separate connectors are used for power and signal transmission. With separate signal connectors and power connectors, the connectors are, at times, larger than need be for the amount of the particular resource, i.e. the amount of power or the number of signal lines, needed by the daughter card. Alternatively, some applications may have requirements for a particular resource, such as power, for instance, in an amount that cannot be accommodated with the connectors readily available that can fit into the allotted space.
A need exists for a connector that is configurable to provide multiple types of resources such as signal and power transmission in the same connector. A further need exists for a connector that is configurable to meet particular resource requirements such as voltage, current, or separation space. It would also be advantageous if a given resource could be placed in a designated location within the connector.